Tag: acting
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Frodo Is Becoming Obsolete
I started teaching drama and acting right about the time that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy was finishing up. Nearly everyone had seen it, and almost universally raved about it. The characterizations of the film provided the perfect example for me when I attempted to illustrate for my young actors what it means…
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Theatre Arts: The Open Art Form
In my estimation, there’s nothing like live theatre. It’s the most intimate art form. The most personal art form. The most human art form. The most ephemeral art form. Unlike a painting or a sculpture, the theatre arts is an open art form. When was the last time the Mona Lisa changed her smile? When…
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It’s not the words. It’s the emotion behind the words.
I was working with one of my actors on a pivotal scene in our upcoming play. She gives a short speech which spurs on some tremendous societal changes. Yes, it’s a few lines of dialogue which changes the story dramatically. It’s the crucial point in the play. The actor had not been getting it. The…
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The Last Bastion: Staged Reading Saturday Night
I just got back from the first and only rehearsals with my fellow actors for the staged reading of my new play “The Last Bastion.” We did an initial reading and then somewhat mapped out our blocking on stage and did a staged rehearsal. Tomorrow, we have a dress rehearsal in the afternoon and then…
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Theatre: The Open Art Form
I enjoyed giving a mini-lecture to my Intro to Theatre Arts class today about the topic, “What is theatre?” Theatre is many things, but most importantly, it’s an open art form. The live audience makes it unique and ever-changing. The interaction with the audience makes every performance different. It can inspire the actor to achieve…
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I’m Heading On-Stage. Yes, I’m Nervous
I’m super excited and super nervous for January 21. Penang Performing Arts Centre is sponsoring a staged-reading of my brand new full length play “The Last Bastion.” The purpose of the event is to get some audience feedback for the play’s development. I want to eventually send it on to some theatre troupes and festivals…
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4 Weeks Off! Do you remember your lines?
Typically, when I’m directing a play, we will meet to do (hopefully) the whole play once a week. Then in the last month before the show, we ramp up the number of hours significantly and we’ll be ready. This time was strange. In the past four weeks, there are certain scenes we haven’t practiced at…
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Using Verbs to Color Your Acting
One of the techniques I use in my Intro to Theatre Arts class is one that I’ve drawn from several different sources. It’s the idea of using an action verb to help describe what a person is supposed to do in a scene. First, I will tell the actors to think of an action verb…
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The Sasse Food Challenge: How to Motivate Actors
It’s become somewhat of a ritual for me over the past few years: The Sasse Food Challenge. It’s a way to, hopefully, motivate my actors to memorize their lines by the date I want them memorized. On the day of the challenge, if they ALL know their lines, approximately 95% or so, then I will…
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Take a Few Days Off to Settle Your Brain (or not)
I have absolutely no scientific data to back up the following claim. But for me, it seems to work this way. Sometimes, when you take a little time away from something, it (whatever it is) seems to gel better in one’s brain. My tangible example is when I lived in Vietnam, and I spent month…
Author Mark W Sasse 